Sleeping Dragon
by Bonesboy15
Summary: Adopted from The Other Side of Darkness. In the village of Konoha, there is a certain boy. He sleeps most of the day away, quotes various sages and wise men, and holds his own in a fight. This is the story of the boy named Naruto...
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: In the quaint village of Konohagakure no Sato, there is an enigmatic boy. He sleeps most of his days away, quotes fortune cookies and when provoked, kicks ass. This is the story of the boy named Uzumaki Naruto.**

**Disclaimer: Many others and myself have said it countless times; I do **_**not**_** own Naruto. I **_**do**_**, however, own a copy of the awesome RPG known as **_**Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim**_** so be ready to see some Shouts put to use.**

**Note: This fic being displayed has been adopted from the works of The Other Side of Darkness. The first few chapters are a re-write/re-wording of The Other Side's original story...Which is now only one chapter.**

**Sleeping Dragon**

**Chapter One: The Enigma**

* * *

The Academy of Ninja, a starting point in many of the world's populous' careers. Our beginning focuses mainly on the Academy within the walls of Konohagakure no Sato, or rather, the Village Hidden in the Leaves. The legendary Senju brothers Hashirama and Tobirama founded and funded the original Academy of Konoha, but today, the Academy is in fact two buildings, both of which funded by the citizen Shimura Danzo. One building housed the classrooms for students handpicked by the Hokage to be in his Shinobi Forces and had produced legends such as the Sanin, Hatake Kakashi, and the (now) infamous Uchiha Itachi.

For those that did not meet the requirements (the letter in the mail inviting said child or children to the Main Academy Building) or did not wish to go to such a school, there was the second building. A back up per se, where others could learn to be shinobi...although most of the graduates wouldn't become the next legendary ninja. In fact, the secondary building produced mainly the 'cannon fodder' for a war; genin ranked shinobi, as hardly any of the students that graduated would show the brilliance or skill that would guarantee them the rank of chunin, let alone jonin. In fact, this is the academy where most of the Hyuuga Branch family members are enrolled; hence why there are so many white-eyed, dark haired children in the classes. With all of this known, it was pretty easy to assume, and actually accepted on a whole of society of the village, that the ones graduating from the secondary academy would be just as likely to leave a historical impact on the world is as likely as the Rikudou Sennin's legendary eye, Rinnegan, being reawaked.

Well...that is until today.

"WAKE UP, UZUMAKI!" The Academy Chunin Instructor, Umino Iruka, shouted at a sleeping blonde. Now, as a regular teacher in the Main Academy Building, Iruka was considered rather laid back...when the students would listen that is. He abhorred slackers, because (along with the strong help of the infamous Kyuubi no Kitsune) it was due to one that his parents had died. Their support was a laid back no-name from the Secondary Academy, and he bolted when his parents began to charge their combined ninjutsu, leaving them wide open for the Kyuubi to obliterate. The scarred chunin wouldn't normally find himself back in the Academy's secondary building, but a friend of his had been severely injured on a B-ranked mission due to an accident made by the client, and he offered to substitute for the fallen chunin a week ago.

Never before had Iruka regretted an offer to help a friend.

The boy he was shouting at was the village pariah, Uzumaki Naruto. The blonde was twelve, possibly thirteen, and along with his unruly blonde hair, Naruto had (if Iruka were honest) beautiful blue eyes...when he opened them long enough to be observed, that is. On both cheeks the young Uzumaki had three marks resembling the whiskers of a forest critter. Why Naruto was the village's bane, Iruka didn't know, but he was aware that it had something to do with Kyuubi's attack more than a decade ago. He also knew that most Jonin, ANBU, and the Hokage had answers, but without a promotion (or an answer directly from the Sandaime Hokage himself) the scarred chunin would have to continue wondering.

Naruto's yawn snapped Iruka from his deep musing over a curious predicament that befell a young orphan, making him look at the boy and think about what he knew from his friend's notes on the blonde's in-school behavior. If Iruka hadn't asked for a file on every student, he would've been surprised by the continuous show of lethargy displayed by the boy. Had someone asked him, Iruka would've sworn that the blonde could be a long lost son to the Nara clan, or a relative to his own student Nara Shikamaru, another lethargic boy. There was something that threw a wrench in that theory, though. There was something about the blonde that was just..._off_.

It was definitely _not_ his display of shinobi skills; that much Iruka was sure of. In the art of ninjutsu he barely scratched the academic requirement. His skill in genjutsu was non-existent (something that Iruka himself wasn't proficient with, but he at least tried, dammit), being unable to successfully make or dispel one. They couldn't get an accurate measure of his skill in taijutsu because before the match he was called to practice in could begin, the blonde would slump forward in his position, snoring lightly as he slept. It was due to his lethargy that he lost every match...And drove Mizuki, Iruka's best friend and assistant Taijutsu teacher, crazy.

It was hard to explain...Despite his, to be blunt, partially consistent _inactivity_ in class, the way he held himself when he walked, the way he looked at you with the gleaming sapphire orbs filled with...something. Hell, even the way he ate during a lunch period made Iruka's inner shinobi scream "Beware!" If he were to be honest with himself, Iruka was sure that he would never understand the enigma known as Uzumaki Naruto.

Then again, he was also sure that the boy wouldn't be easily forgotten either.

These thoughts were shaken when the blonde gave the scarred chunin an apologetic, yet still tired, smile and said, "Sorry Temp-sensei, I'll work harder at staying conscious."

_When Orochimaru comes back and kisses my ass,_ Iruka thought with a twitch in his eye as Naruto yawned dramatically, making the other students slowly succumb to their own boredom. The teacher pinched the bridge of his nose before reaching into his chunin vest and throwing a child's snap-bomb down, jarring the 'tired' students from their attempt to follow the blonde into slumber and making them jump in their seats. Naruto simply yawned once again before shifting his head to the other side.

_Little brat,_ thought the teacher as he glanced at the blonde before he sighed and addressed the others, "Well...Seeing as Uzumaki has decided to go last, again, who shall be first to perform in the Genin Exam?"

The truth, if one were to ask him, is that Iruka would much rather be testing his normal students, partially because a good portion of them were clan heirs and some of them actually had a noggin somewhere between their shoulders. However, he accepted this duty and would take what he could get...Still didn't have to mean he had to like it.

To his relief, not all students were following Uzumaki in his lethargy, as some of the more eager (if not boastful) students' hands shot up.

Throughout the day, as Iruka gave the exam to the students, his loathing of the secondary academy grew. Well, their requirements for the graduation weren't as different as he originally thought, the delivery required certainly made him lose hope as he failed far more than expected given the slack these tests had. In genjutsu, they had to make a _single_ **Bunshin no jutsu (Clone technique)**...so long as it was recognized as a duplicate of the creator it was a passing grade. Taijutsu's requirements were to list the stances of the academy's style, not show how efficient they were at the style itself, before defending themselves in a spar against the Taijutsu sensei, in this case Mizuki. Finally, testing their ninjutsu came down to a display of the necessary hand seals for **Kawarimi (Substitution)**, not even using the technique successfully (despite it being the one basic that constantly saved hundreds of nins' lives!) before they had to list and explain the effects of any three jutsu.

The saddest thing of this whole scenario was that out of a class of thirty, only one-tenth had passed.

Until he came to Naruto.

Iruka looked the dozing blonde with a frown, debating whether or not he should give the slacker a chance before berating himself for thinking like that. If any teacher acted the same way in the past, the Nara wouldn't have become one of the top eight clans when the village was starting. Laziness literally flowed through the gene pool in that family. However, another part of his mind noted, there was no possible way that Naruto could have learned the necessary knowledge or trained enough to pass if he slept through his entire schooling.

With a sigh, Iruka quietly muttered, "I better not regret this...Uzumaki! WAKE UP!"

Iruka saw the blonde stir and decided to speed the process up, walking over to the blonde and grabbing his shoulder, lightly jostling him awake. The sapphire orbs cracked open and looked up at the scarred chunin questioningly, to which Iruka replied, "Your turn for the exam, baka..."

Naruto gave the sub another kind (still tired) smile and stretched his arms out in front of him with a grunt before grinning lightly, "Thanks sensei, thought you were just gonna flunk me like everyone else..."

Iruka smiled sheepishly, "Yeah...Just get up, huh?"

"Maa, maa...so impatient, Temp-sensei," Naruto waved off as he stood and walked over to the front of the class. Every step he took was watched carefully by those who had flunked and those who had passed, counting the steps before he passed out like he normally would. Why would they do that? Well, Naruto's classmates have a little wager every time he's called up to do something. When he was standing across from Mizuki and swayed, people began sighing and reaching into their pockets, before the blonde rolled his neck and shoulders, settling into a stance that looked relaxed. Now they were paying attention to him, because for the first time, he seemed to be taking it seriously.

"Ok..." Iruka drawled quietly, noting the wave of seriousness and shock that was filling the classroom, before he spoke neutrally to the blonde, "First we'll start with a taijutsu exam. Please display the stances for the academy style...Thank you." A sigh, "Well, now you have to spar against Mizuki for a full minute so I can analyze your proficiency."

Naruto stood from the fourth and final stance of the Academy Style before settling back into his relaxed one, yawning obnoxiously and nodding his head, "Okay..."

Mizuki, slightly insulted that the blonde was acting so lazy during his portion of the test, rushed forward with a right fist, determined to implant it in the blonde's head. Naruto grabbed the approaching limb by the wrist and turned into Mizuki's body, halting the silver haired man as his still form drilled into his gut. The chunin let out a gasp of pain before Naruto flipped him over his shoulder onto the ground. Mizuki groaned before he was pushed onto his stomach and his right arm was twisted roughly while still being extended.

This all took place in the span of ten seconds.

"Wow..." Iruka gaped as he stopped the stopwatch to let Mizuki get back up. Naruto released the silver haired man's wrist and offered the chunin a hand up, which was accepted by the stunned Mizuki.

"Damn kid...let's see you do that again," Mizuki murmured with an approving glance, absentmindedly taking note of the boy's skill and mentally preparing to inform his true 'master' of this boy. Orochimaru would certainly like him.

"Hajime," Iruka said, starting his watch so the two could begin anew.

Mizuki rushed forward again, this time spinning his hips to deliver a right kick to the boy's stomach. Naruto stared in what seemed to be boredom at the approaching leg before sidestepping it and wrapping his arm around the chunin's calf. His free right fist was pulled back before it collided with the muscle of Mizuki's right thigh. The chunin released another cry of pain and lost his balance, falling to his back before a weight landed on his chest and a fist was held back inches from his throat.

_Impressive..._Iruka thought with a small smile. It wasn't everyday your best friend was put down by a lethargic academy student. The scarred chunin frowned immediately, _but how did he get so skilled? Or is Mizuki just not taking this seriously?_

"Time," he said as the clock ran out, before smirking, "Not bad, Uzumaki. You just got the best scores...surpassing even Hyuuga Hiro's taijutsu score..."

The Hyuuga in question felt his eye twitch while the blonde chuckled sheepishly and helped Mizuki to his feet once again. Naruto looked at the Hyuuga before glancing at Iruka, "Nah, that was just luck. If we had a full on taijutsu match, Hiro would wipe the floor with me."

"Oh?" Iruka asked, wondering if the blonde was serious or just trying to cheer the Branch member up, "Explain."

Mizuki back on his feet, Naruto looked at the scarred chunin lazily, "Not only is he a Hyuuga, a clan that is renown for their taijutsu the Jyuuken (Gentle Fist), Hiro has had more experience training with his fellow Branch members, the bodyguards of the Main members. I, on the other hand, am an orphan and well...I like to take naps, so I don't train much."

_No, really?_ Was the thought echoing throughout the classroom. As if reading their minds, the blonde waved everyone off with one hand.

"Besides..." Naruto continued, locking his hands behind his head, "Any civilian could've taken Mizuki down with what he was throwing my way...unless he was enhancing his attacks."

Iruka looked at Mizuki and the chunin slapped a hand on his face, "Dammit...I knew something felt wrong..."

"Hiro must have forgotten a chakra tenketsu in one of your central coils," Iruka noted, recalling the Hyuuga's brief match, before looking at said boy, "Hiro, please unseal Mizuki's tenketsu."

"Hai sensei," Hiro replied with a nod, giving the blonde a brief one as well for not calling it out before the match. A few of the others that sparred poorly against the chunin paled. He wasn't using chakra?

"Oh, thanks Hiro-san," Mizuki said before moving to the desk, "I still say give Uzumaki the points...because I was trying to flow chakra subconsciously. Not bad, kid."

"Alright...well, I guess that's understandable," the substitute said with a nod before marking it down and then looking up at the blonde, "Although I'm with Mizuki on this, Uzumaki. That was fairly impressive."

"...Huh? You say something? I fell asleep," Naruto chuckled out sheepishly as he scratched his head, "Gomen Temp-sensei, Mizuki-sensei."

The two chunin face-palmed and thought, _And this kid kicked Mizuki's/My ass?_

Iruka shook his head and looked at his friend, who nodded, before the scarred chunin looked back at the blonde, "Ok. For your ninjutsu test, Mizuki will throw a blunted kunai at you. You will then have to use **Kawarimi** to evade the assault. Go!"

Mizuki quickly reached into his holster and pulled the small shinobi knife out, tossing it at the blonde's head. A half-second later, he was nursing a wound on his right pectoral after the kunai revealed to be real. The silver haired chunin gaped at the blonde, who waved lazily at him from his spot next to Iruka.

"S-Seal less..." Iruka quietly noted as he thought, _That's a high genin skill. And why did Mizuki's kunai pierce skin? Was this deliberant?_

Mizuki grunted and examined the kunai before groaning, "Shit...Sorry kid, grabbed from the wrong slot. Always be prepared..."

"Kinda backfired, eh, Mizuki-sensei?" Naruto noted with a chuckle, receiving one in return. Iruka sighed in relief. It was an accident.

_Except I didn't have a 'second slot',_ Mizuki thought as he applied a light healing technique to his chest, _the blunted kunai are all in my holster. So where did this one come from?_

"Well, another scar for Tsubaki to dote on," Mizuki chuckled out before looking at Iruka, "He did well."

"Agreed," Iruka nodded before looking to the blonde leaning against the chalkboard. His eyes were shut and he was breathing steadily.

Feeling his eye twitch, Iruka smacked the blonde upside the head, "WAKE UP!"

"Hm? Someone say somethin'?" Naruto asked tiredly before rubbing the side of his head he was smacked on, "My head hurts..."

"Gah, it's like it's made of brick!" Iruka cried out as he nursed his swelling hand. The action had a much more dire consequence than expected. The scarred chunin looked at the stretching blonde and grumbled, "You're not done yet, Uzumaki. Stay awake!"

"Ah, gomen, Temp-sensei," sheepishly apologized the blonde, "I'll try."

Iruka eyed the boy as he rubbed his wrist, molding healing chakra as it was sent throughout his hand, before speaking once again, "To finish your ninjutsu test, list and explain three known ninjutsu."

"Oh, really? Cool," Naruto said tilting his head with a grin, "I'll start with the **Chidori (Thousand Birds)**, the A-ranked assassination jutsu developed by Hatake Kakashi. The technique is started when someone with a small affiliation to lightning channels the elemental chakra to a specific point in the hand until it's visible and a chirping can be heard, hence the name. The technique, while powerful, has a severe drawback; the user will suffer from tunnel vision, which would allow the attacker to be blindsided. The jutsu's creator also discovered the remedy for this; Kakashi, who had a Sharingan eye implanted into his left socket, discovered with his Sharingan active he could see clearly. It's believed that both the Sharingan _and_ the Byakugan can cancel the tunnel vision when activated, but no Hyuuga has attempted the technique as of yet."

To say the chunin were stunned would be an understatement. Iruka looked at the boy in awe, while Mizuki seemed to silently plead for another detailed jutsu that he could use or give to Orochimaru. Naruto ignored the both of them and started again, "**Edo Tensei: Kuchiyose no Jutsu (Revive the Dead: Summoning Technique)**, a technique researched by Orochimaru of the Sanin. It was developed to, again as stated in the name, revive the dead for a short period of time to fight for the user, provided the user sacrificed some earth, clay, and stereotypically expected, a virgin to sacrifice to the Shinigami. After all, a soulless corpse without a mind wouldn't be better than a puppet with no strings. The Sandaime Hokage labeled the technique as a kinjutsu, and all notes were either taken by Orochimaru, or are in holding with the Forbidden Scroll."

The two chunin felt shock once again, before leaning forward in the eagerness that only a child receiving a gift could understand.

"And finally," Naruto said dramatically, making both chunin lean just a bit further, "The **Kawarimi**."

Iruka and Mizuki fell face first into the ground, their surprise at being denied another ingenious jutsu breakdown from the blonde making them lose their balance. They both pushed themselves to their feet, but Naruto had continued without looking at them.

"The user creates a limb of chakra that branches out to grab something or, in rare cases, _someone_ and replaces the user with said object at speeds faster than the eye can see. The technique is taught all around the Elemental Nations in every academy, as it is known as one of the most basic and useful techniques. A smoke bomb is commonly dropped to confuse an opponent and leave them open for a few seconds. In most cases for Konoha Shinobi, we tend to grab a log. All hail the loving log, because it protects us like we protect the Leaf."

Iruka nodded solemnly in agreement. The log is a very useful ally, any Konoha shinobi will agree with that. He looked at the blonde and said, "Very good. Stole that last line from the comedy _Logged_, didn't you?"

"Hokage-jiji had took me to the play on my sixth birthday. Loved it."

"As you should," Iruka agreed before turning serious, "And now you've got to make a single **Bunshin**."

Naruto shrugged and put his hands in his pockets, "Might as well fail me, then. I can't make a **Bunshin**...that looks half dead. Hokage-jiji said I might have too much chakra."

_Wouldn't he be a ball of energy then?_ Iruka asked himself as the blonde fell asleep on his feet before looking at the clipboard in his hands. Subtracting the genjutsu points, Naruto still had enough to pass, although he'd be the bottom of the four graduates. Hm, too many for one squad...Perhaps...yes, yes that'd work.

"Actually, Uzumaki, you just barely passed with the lowest grades in this class, but if you had managed to make a **Bunshin**, you would have been top of the class," Iruka said to the blonde. When he didn't receive a reply, he had to resist the urge to smack the now sleeping blonde once again.

_I just gotta graduate him and he's not my problem. Don't kill him. Don't kill him. Don't kill him..._ Iruka chanted mentally in order to restrain from strangling the snoring blonde, he sighed before grabbing a headband and tying it to the blonde's head. Turning to the class, the scarred chunin tiredly dismissed them.

* * *

"Hm...You passed him without seeing his **Bunshin**?" The elderly Sandaime Hokage, Sarutobi Hiruzen, asked the chunin a few hours later.

"Yes sir, Hokage-sama," Iruka answered, "I believe he was simply too lazy to show me the technique..."

"...Then why didn't you fail him?" asked the Hokage curiously. Iruka sighed and pinched his nose.

"I would have, Kami knows I would have if I didn't have a gut feeling that the boy would be..._something_," the Chunin Teacher replied after failing to come up with a word to explain what he felt, "It's...It's how he looks at you, Hokage-sama. There's something..._off_ about him. In a good way!"

"I see...well, we need to find a sensei for him then...Would you like a promotion?"

"I think I'll kill him if I have to train him," deadpanned the chunin, making the Hokage bark out a laugh. Sarutobi smiled and waved the now irritated chunin off.

"Just a joke, Iruka-kun," he said, much to the scarred chunin's relief. The Hokage looked to the reading shinobi that had been silent up until then, "Now, as to why I called you, Kakashi..."

"Sure, I'll take him," the Jonin replied with a shrug of indifference, "It's him or the ROOT boy. Not much of a choice for me."

"Yes, I'm sure..." Drawled the Sandaime before signing over the new genin into the jonin's squad. Kakashi shrugged and looked at Iruka, "I'm not picking him up at a different school."

"I figured no teacher would want to, so I told him to be at the Main Academy," replied the chunin.

* * *

The next morning, at the Main Academy building, the kids were abuzz with excitement. Friends were chatting happily with one another and everyone was curious as to who their sensei would be. The noise ceased instantly when the back doors were thrown open by the last two arrivals.

"I WIN!" they both exclaimed, making every boy groan as they covered their ears. Who else would make such a ruckus but Yamanaka Ino and Haruno Sakura, the two loudest fans of the Rookie of the Year, "The Last" Uchiha Sasuke, who they were now arguing over. To be specific, the two (and most of the other girls in the class) were arguing over who would claim the seat next to the brooding boy. The argument quickly escalated into a full-out brawl, and most witnesses were making bets.

At the end of the brawl, the pink haired Haruno Sakura emerged victorious. She childishly stuck her tongue out at the losers before approaching her prize, which she found to be occupied by a sleeping blonde boy. The boy was dressed in the normal Konoha long sleeved shirt, red swirls on either shoulder, dark cargo shorts that ended just below the knees, and black combat sandals.

The boy on his left was currently staring at the newcomer in surprise, before it quickly shifted into a glare. He didn't notice the blonde take a seat next to him, let along enter the classroom.

_Where in the Hell did he come from?_ Sasuke pondered, _And how did he slip under my radar?_

"Hey!" Sakura exclaimed at the serenely sleeping blonde, "Get up! I want to sit next to Sasuke-kun!"

The blonde remained asleep despite the girl's impressive vocal chords and shrill voice. Sakura waited patiently (read; a few seconds) before her anger got the best of her and she decided force would be necessary to move the blonde. Her trusty right hook cocked back in preparation to wake the blonde and she threw it to slam directly into his skull...only for her fist to come in contact with the hard wood of the desk.

The echo of skin hitting wood make everyone look to see Sakura staring in confusion at the spot where her fist was, and looked past her scrawny arm to see a reclining boy snoozing without a care in the world in the chair, completely oblivious to the awe he was receiving from some of the boys that had suffered Sakura's wrath. Those who were watching already (mainly the Sasuke Fan Club and said boy with the fan club) were either rubbing their eyes or staring in shock, the Uchiha being one of the latter. He hadn't seen the blonde move!

Sakura played it off as a lucky action and brought her fist up to hit the boy in the face...but collided with the desk placed behind them. She stuttered in confusion before a soft snore got her attention and she looked down.

Laying on the floor, half out of her desired seat, the blonde had a arm thrown over his shut eyes and was still sleeping. Those who could see the blonde were baffled as how he moved so effortlessly, and some considered him to be feigning his sleep.

_Thump_.

...Or maybe he was really asleep...

Now sleeping at an awkward angle with his back fully on the ground and his legs elevated by the chair, making a certain Nara wonder if it was good for you, the blonde student remained ignorant of his newfound attention.

Sasuke, on the other hand, was sick of this weirdo acting..._weird_, and decided to deal with it. Uchiha style.

So, like the cool guy he was, he nudged the blonde with his foot and grunted, "Wake up."

Just like that, the blonde rolled onto his knees with a yawn, pushing himself to his feet and reclaiming his spot next to the Uchiha. He grinned tiredly at the scowling boy and said, "Good morning."

The class collectively felt a drop of sweat fall down their heads. Sasuke, mentally shaking the shock of the boy's chosen words off, narrowed his eyes and asked, "This room has been reserved for graduates only, why are you here?"

Yawning, the blonde managed to say, "Temp-sensei told me to come here yesterday. Dunno why. I graduated from Secondary."

"Yeah, well...If you graduated where's your headband?" Sakura asked with a condescending tone in her question.

Naruto cracked his neck and pulled his headband out of his pocket, showing it to the class, "I've got it, don't worry."

"Why aren't you wearing it?" Sasuke asked with a frown. His mother had said the Konoha headband was a great honor and it should be treated as such. To see this...punk having it in his _pocket_ struck him hard in his pride as a shinobi and loyal Uchiha.

Amused blue eyes shifted towards him before shutting as the blonde reclined in his seat and replied, "Don't need a cap to be a bottle, don't need a headband to be a ninja..."

"Actually, it's against the law to not wear your headband, Uzumaki," Iruka corrected the blonde as he limped into the room. The class took notice of this and he waved their concern off, "Relax, kids, just a...a sparring accident. Uzumaki, please wear your headband. I'd hate to see you punished for a trivial, yet important, law."

"Ah, gomen Temp-sensei," Naruto said, loosely tying the headband around his head, sliding it down to cover his eyes before catching an eraser flying at him. The class gaped at the blonde as he lazily tossed the eraser back at Iruka, who scowled at being felled, before Naruto spoke again, "That wasn't nice..."

"_Around_ your head, Uzumaki," Iruka growled as he put the eraser back, "I'd like to see your-"

He was cut off by the snores of the blonde, who had moved the headband down to rest around his neck. Iruka groaned and rubbed his head, before deciding to get team announcements over with. Naruto didn't wake again until he was called.

"Team seven, under Hatake Kakashi, will consist of Uchiha Sasuke." Said boy merely grunted in acknowledgement. So long as he didn't get a weirdo like that green jumpsuit wearing jonin with the huge eyebrows that had subbed once a few years ago, he was happy. "Haruno Sakura." The pinkette jumped up with a fist in the sky, about-facing to gloat to her rival, but stopped when the last name was called. "And Uzumaki Naruto."

_Uzumaki...Naruto? That's his name?_ Was the collective thought from the class, Sakura and Sasuke especially. They remained silent as the chunin finished listing teams before leaving, his spot being taken by two entering sensei.

* * *

Hours later, Sasuke and Sakura were livid, while Naruto was dozing comfortably in the teacher's chair. His reason for taking it being, "Temp-sensei's not here, so why not be comfy while I sleep?"

The classroom door slid open and the two conscious students looked up to see a masked, silver haired man with his left eye covered. He hummed absentmindedly before he spoke, "My first opinion of you is...indecisive. Meet me on the roof in fifteen minutes or you'll be back in the academy."

Sakura and Sasuke stared at the man as he vanished in a swirl of leaves before looking over at their blonde teammate. The pinkette looked at her crush and asked, "Should we wake him up?"

As he left, Sasuke snorted out his answer, "If he doesn't come then that means it's one less piece of trash I have to worry about."

Sakura, not realizing that the statement was also an insult to her, nodded eagerly and followed after 'the amazing' Sasuke. Once they had made it to the roof, however, the were shocked to find their dozing teammate, spread eagle on the rooftop across from their reading sensei. Kakashi looked up and, after pausing briefly on the blonde, asked, "Seven minutes, really?"

"Sensei, did you see him get up here?" Sakura asked, getting a confused shake of the head from the white haired man.

"Uh, no, I was reading. Didn't you wake him up?" Kakashi asked, getting negative head shakes as a response, he shrugged, "Ah. Wake up, lazy bones."

The silver haired jonin walked over to the snoozing boy and gently nudged him with his foot. Naruto snorted and stirred from his sleep, rubbing his eyes before smiling lightly at the jonin, "Ah, mornin' sensei!"

"It's two in the afternoon," Kakashi deadpanned. The blonde blinked once with a blank face.

"Good afternoon then," Naruto shrugged out before yawning loudly and sitting up. He rested his chin in the palm of his hand, yawning again before he continued, "What's with the meeting?"

"Well, I figured we could all get to know each other before we get down to business," Kakashi replied with the closing of his one eye, "If you'd be so kind as to stay conscious...?"

Naruto sighed and put his head in his hands, "Aw, ok..."

Kakashi nodded before looking at his two other 'students', "You gonna sit down?"

The two silently took their seats and Kakashi nodded, "Good. Now I want you to state your names, likes, dislikes, and your dreams."

Sakura furrowed her brow and raised her hand, "Um, sensei? Can you explain?"

_I thought she was the Kunoichi of the year?_ Both Kakashi and Sasuke thought, before the former sighed and lazily began, "Yeah, fine. My name is Hatake Kakashi. I'm a Jonin. My likes and dislikes are...meh. My dreams...you shouldn't have to concern yourself with that, actually. Ok, Pinky?"

_All we learned was his name,_ Sasuke and Sakura thought with a drop of sweat falling down their heads. Naruto tilted his head from one side to the other and blinked slowly before shrugging. Kakashi stared patiently before he sighed, "Pinky, begin!"

"Oh! Oh, sorry sensei!" Sakura apologized with a light blush before she began, "My name is Haruno Sakura. I like...um..." She glanced at Sasuke, making the boy sigh, and blushed before she tried again, "My dreams are to..." her eye drifted to Sasuke once again, making him shudder. Oblivious to her crush's discomfort, Sakura finished with, "I _hate_ Ino-pig and lazy people!"

_Ok, the fan-girl rivalry I understand...but hating lazy people?_ Kakashi mentally wallowed in sorrow and drew a circle in the ground, _We're not __**that**__ bad..._

Shaking himself from his inner turmoil, Kakashi looked at Sasuke, "You, Emo, go."

There was an eye twitch from the raven-haired boy and he glared at the silver haired man, who remained immune to his glare, before he started, "I am Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura released a barely hushed squeal at his 'cool' beginning. "I have few likes, but my dream, no, my ambition is to kill one man. This man I hate above all other things. My existence is to _kill_ him."

While Sakura drooled over Sasuke's 'coolness' and Naruto inched away from the Uchiha, Kakashi blinked before rubbing his head, _Oh dear Kami...Who the hell did his psychological assessment? This kid's going to either get his team killed or go rogue! I'm going to have to pull him aside if he passes...Maybe giving him a few jutsu will keep him interested in the village...I do owe Obito after all..._

Nodding at his own plan, Kakashi then looked at his last student, who was fighting the urge to pass out, and said, "Alright blondie, you're up."

Naruto gave a small smile to the man and he spoke, "Oh, ok. I'm Uzumaki Naruto, I like naps, ramen, and Ayame-chan. I dislike thunder and Kitsune because they disrupt my sleep. My dream...well, my dreams are hard to remember once I wake up. I'll remedy this now..."

With nothing else said, the blonde slumped over to the side and slept peacefully. Kakashi quickly looked at his other two students, gauging their reactions towards his admittance of a dislike for Kitsune, and silently let a breath of relief escape his lips. He knew what the boy contained, and apparently the boy knew as well. Whether this was good or bad was yet to be determined.

Kakashi brushed the disturbing news off for now and redirected his students' attention to him rather than their dozing comrade with a clearing of the throat, "Well. Now that you all know more about each other, we will have your official genin test tomorrow at seven o'clock sharp-."

"Wha, but sensei? Aren't we genin already?" Sakura asked timidly while Sasuke froze at the jonin's words. Kakashi gave them another one of his 'eye-smiles' before he answered her.

"That test is a formality, silly little girl," he said with a bit too cheerful tone, "No _real_ ninja would be alive today if that's all we had to do...Don't worry though, your exam is just a survival exercise...I'll explain more tomorrow. Be at training ground seven at five am sharp! A minute late and you automatically fail, no do-overs! Understood? Good! Ciao."

The two academy A graduates gaped at the spot where their sensei once stood after he vanished in a shunshin before he suddenly reappeared with a raised finger, saying in afterthought, "Oh, yes, and don't eat breakfast, ok? Same rules apply!"

He vanished once again in a puff of smoke, leaving two shocked preteens who took a good five minutes to snap from the stupor he had put them in. Sakura looked worriedly at Sasuke, and then glanced at the sleeping blonde, before looking at _the_ Sasuke-kun and asking, "Should we tell Naruto?"

Sasuke looked at her as though she were a waste of space, though in the pinkette's eyes it was a loving glance, before he answered with his trademarked grunt and walked back to the rooftop doors. Sakura followed her crush with her eyes, worriedly glancing at her assigned teammate for a second before pulling a piece of paper out and quickly scribbling Kakashi's instructions down on it. Slapping the paper to the still sleeping blonde's face, Sakura quickly followed the raven haired 'avenger' with questions of a date or dinner.

Had anyone been around to notice, they would have been shocked when Naruto slowly sat up and gripped the paper on his face with a lazy right hand. Scanning the hurried scribbles slowly, the blonde let a small smile grace his face, "Well...that was awfully nice of her...Better tell Kurama that I'm going to leave tomorrow morning."

The blonde boy stretched and pushed himself to his feet before he walked to the same door that his teammates had used only minutes before, lazily humming a tune long forgotten by many, but survived by a few.

* * *

**AN: There it is, the beginning of my reimagining of The Sleeping Dragon. Tell me what ya'll think. I'm gonna be hitting it up in Miami!**

**(PS: Just saw WMXXVIII and bought the best DX 3-disc set for 5 bucks. Expect a new CHB chapter soon!)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: In the quaint village of Konohagakure no Sato, there is an enigmatic boy. He sleeps most of his days away, quotes fortune cookies and when provoked, kicks ass. This is the story of the boy named Uzumaki Naruto.**

**Disclaimer: Many others and myself have said it countless times; I do **_**not**_** own Naruto. I **_**do**_**, however, own a copy of **_**Clue**_**. Funny ass movie, must watch it again!**

**Note: This fic being displayed has been adopted from the works of The Other Side of Darkness. The first few chapters are a re-write/re-wording of The Other Side's original story...Which is now only one chapter.**

**Sleeping Dragon**

**Chapter Two: The Scarecrow's Test**

* * *

Naruto yawned as he stepped into his apartment, tiredly calling out, "Kurama...I'm ba-*yawn*-ack!"

An average sized fox perked up from its perch on the couch and it tilted its head. Naruto seemed to be forcing himself to stay awake, and was struggling with kicking his sandals off. The blonde muttered under his breath about stupid sandals before releasing a cheerful cry of success when his right sandal came off...He took less time with the left sandal...

The blonde lethargic boy swayed as he walked to the couch, falling face first onto the cushions with a sigh. He started to succumb to the couch's comfort before groaning. Rolling onto his back with a grunt, the blonde looked over at the staring fox and smiled slightly, "I gotta go to a test tomorrow...can you believe that?"

The fox released a small growl and gracefully dropped from its perch onto the blonde's stomach. Naruto snorted at the impact and ran his hand over the small canine-like animal's lithe form. He smiled once he heard the fox's breathing evened out and looked at the ceiling through half-lidded eyes, "Soon I'll be doing missions...think you can stop yourself from eradicating the village?"

The fox grumbled quietly and the boy's smile widened slightly as he chuckled, "Yes, yes...I know you're still upset at Tou-sama, I'll get your power back from the toads soon enough, Kurama."

The red fox released another grumble, this one being one of a more thankful grumble than an angered one. The blonde sighed and draped his free arm over his eyes.

"Wake me tomorrow at five..._Five_? Ugh, how _evil_!" he complained to the already dozing animal.

* * *

Sakura Haruno yawned as she approached the training ground her sensei had instructed them to go to. Her stomach growled and she repressed a groan while holding it. The pinkette muttered under her breath, "Stupid one-eyed sensei...making me wake up at five in the morning..."

Her exhaustion had caused her to miss walking pass her 'beloved' Sasuke. The brooding Uchiha's hair was messier than normal, and he had bags under his eyes. Sasuke blearily looked up and grunted upon seeing Sakura stumble into the clearing of the training grounds. His noise, however, had gotten the attention of his fan.

"Ah! Sasuke-kun!" Sakura exclaimed in shock. The girl then quickly ran her hands through her still matted hair and attempted to clean herself up. Sasuke clenched his eyes shut and released a quiet groan.

_Why me?_ He mentally asked himself. The raven-haired boy swore under his breath when the pinkette appeared next to him under the trees, looking at him with a smile.

"Sasuke-_kun_," the girl purred out, "Wanna go out for lunch later?"

"Hn."

Sakura's smile fell slightly, but she shook her head and attempted a 'cute' (_WARNING; loose term usage_) approach, "_Please_, get some lunch with me?"

Sasuke eyed the girl with his trademarked 'I'm-the-Last-Uchiha-leave-me-alone-to-brood' Death Glare. Sakura pouted and sat back as the Uchiha eyed the training ground in front of him. Neither of the two took notice to the suspicious sound of snoring that came from above them.

A few minutes passed. The minutes turned into a half-hour, which then turned into one hour, which multiplied into six hours before their one-eyed sensei arrived at the training ground a few feet away from them. Sasuke was still seated under the tree brooding, his arms crossed over his chest as he sat with a scowl on his face, and Sakura was trying hard to either not fall asleep, or fall asleep on Sasuke's shoulder, which was stopped by the Uchiha heir with a firm shove away.

The sight amused Kakashi.

"Good morning, my little Genin-to-be...maybe!" he greeted with a wave, "How are you three this morning?"

Sakura and Sasuke jumped up to their feet out of shock and due to their years in the academy were ready to fight. Their stances were sloppy due to exhaustion, but they had fallen into the stances instinctively nonetheless. The sight made Kakashi smile under his mask slightly.

Sakura didn't take to kindly to her sensei's greeting, showing her disapproval by pointing at the man and exclaiming with a shrill, "YOU'RE LATE!"

"Maa-" he was interrupted by the pinkette again, "AND WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY YOU THREE? THERE'S ONLY _TWO_ OF US!"

As if on cue, Naruto fell from his perch in the tree's branch above them, landing on the back of his head with his lower body rolling over it. Sakura and Sasuke stared in disbelief as their teammate slept peacefully despite falling nearly ten feet onto the back of his head. Kakashi merely chuckled and gestured to the downed boy.

"A prime example of why I _shouldn't_ pass you," he said with a hint of amusement in his voice, "No real shinobi would miss him sleeping in the tree." _Hell, I almost missed him. If I didn't have ANBU training, I probably wouldn't have seen him...unless I used Obito's eye, that is_, was the internal praise that his students didn't hear.

Sasuke glared down at the lethargic boy and barely restrained himself from attacking the blonde. Sakura had no problem with giving the blonde a kick to the back.

...Which was avoided when the boy rolled backwards to lie on his belly. The pinkette growled and lifted her foot to stomp on Naruto's head. The blonde rolled to his left with a snort, just avoiding her falling foot. Sakura's eye twitched dangerously, but before she could attempt another attack, Kakashi spoke up.

"Wake up, Uzumaki," the lazy jonin said in an aloof manner. The blonde's eyes cracked open and he sat up with a yawn. His head swiveled around before locking on Kakashi's form, giving him a tired smile.

"Oh, good morning sensei!" he greeted cheerfully, "Thanks for letting me sleep for so long, but I thought the test started at five...judging on the sun's position and the lack of clouds its nearly eleven. Did I miss the test?"

_Damn, this kid's smart!_ Kakashi thought with a raised brow and a slightly widened eye before he mellowed out, _At least he didn't call me on my 'tardiness'...I've no doubt that he could have gotten me to tell the truth._

The thought made the jonin shiver. He was so used to lying and being late...when it wasn't important, anyway. Clearing his throat, Kakashi finally replied with, "No, Naruto, you didn't miss the test. I was merely helping an old lady cross the street to get her cat out of a tree. It turned out to be a black cat so I had to take the long way around to avoid any bad luck. Then I had to help retrieve a purse from a thief and got rewarded-"

"PERVERTED LIAR!" Sakura cut his story off with a red face and a loud scream. Naruto was cleaning his left ear out with his pinky and Sasuke was avoiding looking at the jonin, the slight blush hiding as he sunk into his raised collared shirt.

Kakashi frowned. He was really on a roll with that one and then she went and interrupted him...He'd have to get her back for that later. Shaking his head, he reached into his pocket and pulled out...two bells?

"Alright kiddies," he said, getting a growl from two of the three in question, "You wanna be shinobi, eh? Then you've gotta pass this little test of mine. You have to get the bells before time runs out. Simple as that."

Sakura blinked, her foggy and tired mind clear enough to notice something, "Uh, but sensei, there's only two bells..."

Repressing the urge to roll his eye, Kakashi gave the girl a smile and closed his eye, "Very good, Haruno...You _can_ count! I was worried for a second there..."

A second later he had his foot on the pinkette's back after she tried to attack him. Naruto snickered tiredly as he sat with crossed legs and his chin in his left hand whereas Sasuke was smirking from his spot leaning against a tree. The white haired jonin gave Sakura a minute to tire herself out before he got off her and went back to explaining the test.

"Anyway, as miss Haruno pointed out, there are only two bells," Kakashi said, getting a growl from the girl, "Meaning only two of you can get the bells, which in turn means...? Anyone? Anyone?"

"Only two can pass?" Naruto asked with a furrowed brow, and upon receiving a nod from his sensei, the blonde sat straight up and crossed his arms. The blonde's eyes shut and he ducked his head, appearing to think. The gathered three looked at the boy patiently before he snored, getting them all to sigh. Kakashi shook his head.

"Naruto...wake up," he sighed out. The blonde snorted and looked around before smiling tiredly at his sensei.

"Ne, gomen, Kakashi-sensei," Naruto apologized. The white haired jonin shook his head before he cleared his throat and resumed his explanation.

"Naruto's right, only two of you three can pass. The last one gets sent back to the academy and can try again next year. Oh, by the way, come at me with the intent to kill or you're pretty much screwed," he added as an afterthought, jumping back to avoid a kunai that was thrown from the raven-haired genin. With a frown, Kakashi addressed the assailant, "Hey, I didn't say go yet and the timer hasn't been placed."

Sasuke scowled and pulled another kunai out, "Yeah, but we're supposed to be shinobi...Rules are for samurai!"

_That is so hypocritical,_ Kakashi mused as he caught the charging boy and quickly twisted his arm so that the kunai was a centimeter from severing his spinal cord at the base of his neck. Sakura gasped, Sasuke growled, and Naruto...He snored and fell on his back.

Kakashi shook his head and looked down at the boy in his grip. Almost teasingly, the man said, "Have it your way then...Begin!"

He vanished in a cloud of smoke, allowing Sasuke to vanish into the brush with Sakura seconds behind him. Naruto remained where he was, spread eagle on his back with drool coming from the corner of his mouth. Kakashi reappeared in the clearing of the training ground and went to his sleeping student. He knelt next to the sleeping boy and narrowed his eye.

"...So it's gonna be like that, huh?" he asked quietly after a moment, getting a snort from the blonde as he rolled onto his side. Kakashi stared at the back of his lethargic student and shook his head, "You won't pass if you play Nara, kid, but if that's how you wanna play, I'll play."

* * *

Let's take a step back and find one of the two others, Uchiha Sasuke to be precise. The raven-haired boy watched with narrowed eyes as his crouched sensei stared at the sleeping blonde before Kakashi started to poke and prod the boy in various spots, trying to get a response out of him. Let's pretend that Sasuke isn't as self-centered as we like to think and has a good strategic head that put him in the slot of Rookie of the Year.

...No, really. Pretend that scenario is reality otherwise this is as far as you're getting...

_Grr...That guy...I'll deal with him after we pass this test,_ Sasuke thought determinedly as his eyes shifted from Naruto to Kakashi and narrowed further, _Kakashi said that only two-thirds of this group can pass. Now that's bullshit. __**He**__ told me that all genin squad have three genin and a jonin sensei. Hell, Iruka-sensei taught us that all of Konohagakure's squads are made of no more or less than four people! Now why would Kakashi try to tell us otherwise?_

Sasuke mulled this over for a good while, the time being equivalent to a few minutes, before realization struck him. The now wide-eyed Uchiha narrowed his eyes and smirked, _So that's how it is! This test is meant to see how well our teamwork is, to see if we'll split up and go after the bells on our own. Nice try, Kakashi, but I'm not that stupid..._

His eyes hardened and his smirk fell, _But Haruno is...I gotta get her to work with me so that she doesn't get in my way...Ugh, this is gonna suck._

That in mind, Sasuke left his perch and went banshee hunting-er, he went to find his teammate. Yes...He went to find his teammate. The Uchiha found said girl lying on her stomach in the bush. He shook his head in despair.

_Kami, this is gonna be worse than I could ever expect it to be,_ he thought with a frown, before landing next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder. Sakura jumped and went to scream but Sasuke quickly slapped a hand over her mouth and shushed her with a glare. Once he was sure she'd be quiet, he spoke, "Listen, Haruno, we need to work together to get those bells-The _three_ of us!"

Sasuke quickly threw in before she could drift off into a fantasy. He frowned when he saw the hint of disappointment in her eyes at his words. It seems that he was starting to understand fan girls...that's not a good sign.

Releasing her mouth, Sakura quietly asked, "Then what do we do, Sasuke-kun? Naruto no baka is out there in the clearing and Kakashi-sensei is poking him with a stick while reading an orange book. How do we get to him?"

Sasuke thought about this for a moment before he looked at the pinkette with a small smirk, "Ok, you're the best at genjutsu. I need you to send a **Bunshin** out into the clearing, send it into the opposite side of the brush. Kakashi might not look up, but it will give me time to go after Uzumaki. I can bring him back here and we can make a better plan then."

"Wow, that's really smart. Regroup and reformulate, good idea, Uchiha," a familiar voice said, making the both of them jump and face the newcomer. Kakashi leaned on a tree behind them, casually flipping a page in his book before he spoke again, "I think that plan just might work...if I weren't a _jonin_..."

Sasuke's eyes widened and he grabbed Sakura's shoulder, "Change of plan! Get that idiot to the other side of the clearing, I'll cover you!"

Sakura nodded and ran out into the clearing, towards the still sleeping blonde in question. Sasuke counted to five and rushed at Kakashi, his right hand back as he went to punch the jonin in the face. The reading man grabbed Sasuke's hand, without looking up from his book. His book-wielding hand's thumb carefully turned the page and Kakashi said, "I'll give you a seven for speed and a...eh, what the hell, I'm in a good mood, you get a five and a half for the force behind your punch."

Sasuke growled and went to punch the man with his left hand, only to be blocked by the arm that had already gripped his right hand. Kakashi didn't look up and giggled perversely, "Oh, Sora...your beauty and talent pleases me so."

Sasuke growled and gripped the man's arm with his free hand, pulling his body up so he could deliver a left kick to the man's head. The grip on his hand vanished as did his target. Sasuke landed on his feet and quickly backed up to the tree in a ready stance, his eyes scanning the area.

"Hm, Lesson one; Genjutsu. You know, the thing about genjutsu, is that in order for it to work well, you have to get the drop on your target...and I mean, you really gotta surprise them," Kakashi's voice casually echoed around him. Sasuke growled and his fists tightened. His eyes widened when his shoulder was gripped tightly behind him and the voice of the jonin whispered in his ear, "Your brother was impossible to surprise."

Before he could retaliate, Kakashi had delivered a kick to the back of the Uchiha's head, sending him out into the clearing, where he rolled before pushing himself to a knee and skidding to a stop. Sasuke looked around for his team, scowling when he saw Sakura dragging the still sleeping blonde by the underside of his arms. Her arms were shaking and sweat gleamed on her forehead.

"What the hell-WHY AREN'T YOU HIDING?" he asked incredulously, shocked that she was still trying to get their blonde comrade into the bush. Sakura looked up and gave her crush a smile, before gasping and dropping the blonde, pointing behind the Uchiha.

"Sasuke-kun! Watch out!" She cried. Sasuke turned and just barely ducked under a kunai. A bit of his hair fell behind him as the kunai continued to soar through the sky. In retaliation, the Uchiha sent three shuriken to the position the kunai had come from before facing his front, blocking an attempted kick from the white haired jonin.

"Lesson two," Kakashi listed as he brought his knee into the genin's face, "Taijutsu!"

Sasuke slid back and ran his forearm along his jaw, growling in pain before he rushed at the man. Kakashi's one eye narrowed and before Sasuke could strike, he had lifted his right leg and kicked the adolescent in the face, the Uchiha's momentum causing him to fall back and slide on the ground behind Kakashi. The silver haired man chuckled.

"Any other shinobi wouldn't have fallen for that," he said with a smirk as Sasuke got to his feet with a hand on his head. He casually stepped to the side to avoid Sakura's attempted haymaker. With a disapproving frown, he went to chop her neck, only for his arm to suddenly get heavier.

Looking down in confusion, his one eye widened in disbelief as Naruto hung from his arm like a koala would a tree branch. The blonde looked to be loosely hanging, but it was obvious that his grip was stronger than Kakashi expected it to be. And his weight! How was this thirteen-year-old so freaking heavy?

"Get off!" Kakashi growled out of annoyance, using chakra to enhance his muscles and send the blonde rolling. Naruto stopped just on the edge of the forest on his stomach, a snore escaping his lips. The jonin quickly faced the pinkette that was running at him and ducked under another of her strikes, spinning around on the ball of his right foot to sweep the girl's feet from under her.

Sakura released a shriek of surprise when her back collided with the ground. She looked up and her eyes widened as she gasped when, as she tried to do to the blonde boy minutes ago, Kakashi's foot fell down towards her head.

"**Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu (Fire Release: Great Fireball Technique)!**" a voice echoed into the sky. Kakashi looked behind him to see a large fireball flying at him. He dropped to his back next to Sakura and watched as it flew over him and the girl by a few inches. The shinobi elite looked over at the boy as he flipped through hand seals once again, these being much more of a precise technique that made him arch his brow in an impressed manner.

_That technique at such an age? Geez, Itachi really screwed up with you, didn't he kid?_ The jonin thought before jumping up and rushing towards the teen. Quietly, Kakashi spoke, "Lesson three; ninjutsu. When using ninjutsu, make sure to have the required hand seals memorized and enough time to make them...Like so!"

His hands quickly flipped through seals and his right hand went to cup his mouth, "**Katon: Goukakyuu no jutsu!**"

Sasuke's eyes widened and he had to abandon the technique he was attempting to use, separating his hands for a millisecond before using them once again to use **Kawarimi**. Sasuke narrowly managed to avoid the large fireball that his sensei had sent towards him, leaving a log to take the hit. Before the Uchiha could relax, his sensei was on him again, delivering a strong roundhouse kick to his head, sending Sasuke tumbling backwards to land next to Sakura.

Kakashi smirked and slowly walked towards them, thinking, _The alarm is about to go off in five...four...three...two..._

"Hey sensei," a voice that he had forgotten about called. Kakashi's one eye widened and he about faced to see Naruto holding the bells in his hand, dangling them like he had earlier. The blonde tiredly smiled, "If I give these to Uchiha-san and Haruno-san can I go back to the academy? This fighting stuff is to intrusive to my naptime."

Before Kakashi could reply, the blonde tossed the bells to land in front of Sasuke, who quickly gave one to a confused Sakura. The alarm clock rang and Kakashi's head dropped before he looked up and crossed his arms, "Well, looks like you all pass."

Naruto smiled and gave him a small thumbs-up before falling to his back and sleeping. The jonin shook his head and turned around to look at Sasuke and Sakura, "Not bad, you two...not bad at all...You can use the rest of the day to rest. Tomorrow we begin taking missions. Ja!"

He vanished in a plume of smoke, the two bells following his example, leaving the three pre-teens to themselves in the clearing. Sasuke looked from the spot his sensei stood and went to where Naruto was. The blonde was spread eagle once again and sleeping. The Uchiha scowled and went to his feet, grunting as he did so. He thought about rushing the blonde to get answers, roughing him up, when he realized something.

He never once saw Naruto get the bells...

Sasuke's eyes narrowed and he stared at the blonde that was his teammate, _Just who are you, Uzumaki Naruto_?

"Hey, Sasuke-kun? You wanna-?" Sasuke cut Sakura off with a stern, but absentminded, "_No_."

The young Uchiha decided then and there that he would spy on Naruto, learn what he could about the blonde, and then...see if he couldn't be a stepping stone to get closer to killing _him_. He left the clearing, Sakura going the opposite way, which he was relieved at immensely. Once he was certain he was out of the clearing's line-of-sight, he dashed back through the woods, hiding himself in a tree and staring down at his blonde teammate.

Naruto laid there peacefully, but Sasuke knew something was off. He could feel it, just like when _he_ left him alive. Something was off then, and something was off now. He had to find out what that _off_ was...

* * *

Minutes passed and Naruto didn't move. Sure his foot twitched once or twice or a word (usually 'ramen') left his lips, but other than that, he showed no signs of waking up. Sasuke was patient, though. He could wait until the blonde woke. All he had to do was wait. He discovered the Nara male secret by waiting when he watched Shikamaru play shogi with his father. That took a few hours to figure out, but he managed.

The minutes turned to hours and Sasuke felt his stomach rumble. He suppressed the feeling, glaring down at the still sleeping blonde. The Uchiha looked to the sky, judging by the position of the sun, it was almost four, meaning he had sat and watched Naruto sleep for nearly four hours! His coal colored eyes fell back to where Naruto was, and they widened when the blonde was nowhere in sight.

"What?" He asked himself in shock. How could the most lethargic person he'd ever met, aside from Nara Shikamaru, escape his sight. The young Uchiha's head swiveled around and caught sight of yellow leaving the clearing. Quickly and as quietly as he could, Sasuke dropped to the ground and ran after the blonde.

Naruto whistled a tune as he lazily walked from the clearing, a tune that Sasuke hadn't heard before. To test it out, he hummed it to himself, "Hm, hm-hm-hm-hm, hm-hm, hm, hm, hm. Hm-hm-hm, hm, hm, hm-hm-hm-hm, hm, hm-hm-hm-hm hm-hm, hm, hm."

Well it was catchy, he'd give Naruto that...And it gave off a slight laid-back tune.

Sasuke found himself humming the tune as Naruto whistled it, only stopping when Naruto casually walked into a small food bar called Ichiraku's Ramen. His whistling stopped only a few seconds after someone greeted him. Sasuke went to a nearby stall and got a few rolls, watching the legs of his target as he quenched his hunger. Minutes passed and Naruto left the stall, a lazy wave behind him following as a girl's voice said farewell and...thanks for the meal?

That made Sasuke pause before he shook the thought from his mind, another mystery for another time. Naruto was walking towards one of the more run-down sections of the village, a portion that was heavily damaged by the Kyuubi attack thirteen years ago. Sasuke braced himself against a wooden fence and peered around the corner as Naruto stopped and crouched in the center of a four-way intersection.

He narrowed his eyes when Naruto spoke, "What are you doing out here?"

Either he couldn't hear the response or there wasn't one, making Sasuke suspicious. He sent more chakra to his ears and nearly deafened himself when Naruto hissed, "Get back to the apartment! Do you know what Jiji will do if he finds out you're free?"

There was another pause, but Sasuke didn't dare use chakra again. He was a fast learner...

Naruto released a tired growl, "Dammit, I was trying to lose my tail, you idiot...Yeah, it's the Uchiha kid."

Another growl hit Sasuke's ears and he blinked. Naruto was talking to...an animal? Not too strange considering Inuzuka Kiba and his clan could freely communicate with canines or Aburame Shino and his clan could speak to insects. However, he was certain that Uzumaki wasn't a known clan of Konoha.

Poor, poor, deluded and uninformed boy...

Naruto's voice snapped him from his thoughts, "Uchiha-san, please stop following me. I already had one stalker this year, and ANBU are much more subtle than you."

_He had ANBU following him? Why? Is he an immigrant? A defect? No, too young. Maybe he's a refugee..._Sasuke thought as he fell back against the fence. He turned around to look at Naruto again and growled when the blonde had vanished once more.

"Dammit..." he growled, angrily turning around to go home and rethink his plan to follow his teammate. The blonde was much better than he had anticipated.

* * *

"Aw, he gave up..." Naruto said with a small frown as he walked back into the intersection, in his arms was the same fox that he had greeted earlier. He casually stroked the fox's back, getting a rumble from the small animal.

The lethargic blonde's frown turned upwards, "Yeah, I guess you're right, Kurama...he's too problematic to bother with anyway. I'm almost fully rested...just a few more weeks and I'll be set to find the others..."

The small fox, Kurama, gave a yawn, which was echoed by the blonde in question as he turned around and walked down the wooden alleyway. They walked in silence for a moment before Naruto spoke again, "Ne, Kurama? Can you tell me about my Kaa-chan again?"

The fox gave a growl and Naruto pouted, "Please? I'll be real good and stay awake this time..."

**"Don't make promises you can't keep, Kit,"** A deep voice came from the fox's lips. The fox coughed, Naruto rubbing the back of its neck, before it hacked up a hairball. Kurama smacked his chops before he spoke again, **"Damn, I've been using the Kitsune Shita (Fox Tongue) too much, Kit. My vocal chords hurt..."**

"Nah, you just need a drink and to get a real grooming," Naruto replied as he idly raked his fingers through the fox's fur, "Just a few more weeks, Kurama. Then I can tell Jiji what happened to Tou-sama's seal."

**"Weeks, months, what does it matter to us?"** Kurama asked with a yawn, **"So long as I am empowered once again, I do not care how long it takes. A Kitsune must have its power-"**

"Or else the Ryu he watches flies too soon," Naruto finished with a tired sigh, "Hai, hai...you've only been telling me that since I was but a hatchling."

**"You are still a hatchling, Kit,"** Kurama replied with a smirk, getting a pout from the blonde, **"Compared to the others anyway."**

"Yeah...I know," Naruto sighed out tiredly before giving a weak chuckle, "But hey, they're the ones that need me to release them."

Kurama barked out a laugh as a reply.

* * *

Sarutobi frowned from where he was seated. Across from him stood Hatake Kakashi, minus stereotypical _Icha-Icha_ known to be in his face nearly twenty-four seven. The man in front of him had a serious look in his eye, and judging by the way that he had asked to see the Hokage privately, Sarutobi was certain that he was for once being serious.

"Would you please repeat yourself, Hatake_-san_?" he asked, restraining himself from outright growling at the man only just. He saw the shiver go down Kakashi's spine that he had seen many times on the battlefield.

"I...I said that we should put an ANBU on Uzumaki again," the jonin repeated despite his inner warning alarms going off. As expected, he found himself on the ground, a file on his chest, and a growl coming from the Hokage.

"Read it, Kakashi," Sarutobi growled, "And you will see why I cannot risk putting another ANBU on Naruto-kun."

Kakashi blinked and got to his feet with the file in his hand. He flipped it open, furrowing his brow at what he saw. Quickly, he flipped the top paper over and read the next page. And then the next.

"Kakashi, Naruto-kun does _not_ want to be followed...as he expressed in that complaint," Sarutobi said with interlaced hands, his eyes narrowing as he continued, "Which I had marked 'urgent' when I gave you Naruto's file yesterday..."

"I...I was gonna wait until after they passed or failed to read them or not..." Kakashi replied, flipping through the pages, "He...Holy Kami above. He's...And His mother...Oh dear Kami...He knows...How the hell-How the Hell does he know!"

"I don't know," Sarutobi replied with a scowl as he repacked his pipe, "But he threatened to take the Uzumaki bloodline and the inheritance from the Yondaime with him, as stated on the fifth page. Notice how he never reveals who told him about the Kyuubi and his heritage. I don't know how Naruto-kun got so fast, nor how he became so lethargic, but I do know this. When he filed that report, he read it himself in front of myself...and my advisors..."

"Oh shit," Kakashi said with a pale face, "No, shit doesn't even begin to explain what this is! This...This could end our village, Sandaime-sama...one boy...dear Kami above. One boy can bring us to our knees..."

"Why do you think I had put him in the secondary academy?" Sarutobi asked with a frown, "He requested it...and he had good reason. His learning, what he did learn anyway, would have been hindered to the point that he could have become a flat-out idiot."

Kakashi reread another page, "I...I can see why he wouldn't want to be followed. He wants to stay here and be left alone...until he's rested?"

"Naruto-kun had said he would explain that once he was rested," Sarutobi said as he removed his pipe from his mouth to exhale, "But what I need for you to do, Kakashi, is to keep an eye on him and the Uchiha. If either of them look like they're going to go AWOL, I want them dealt with..."

"H-Hokage-sama, knowing what I do now...Killing sensei's son...I..." he failed to come up with words as he looked up, "I...I couldn't..."

"Do you think it's easy for me to ask that of you?" the Hokage asked with a frown, "I know how you feel about your sensei, Kakashi. He was my choice for the Yondaime. His son is like a grandson to me."

Kakashi took a moment to let it all sink in before he put the file on the desk and bowed, "As you wish, Hokage-sama. Gomen'nasai."

The last student of the Yondaime left through the doors, proving to the posted ANBU guards and the secretary that he was shaken by something. The Hokage followed soon after, looking over to the woman seated at the desk outside his office, he said, "I'm taking the day off, Chisame-chan."

"A-Ah, yes, of course, Hokage-sama," the secretary, Chisame, replied with a nod of her head. Sarutobi left the room with silence and went towards the door, intent on going home to rest his aching head...and his aching heart.

* * *

**AN: Sure, it's a tad shorter, but it's still good, ne? Review peeps, soon as you do, I'm gonna update again...maybe.**


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